The key facts

  • A delegation including the French and Belgian consuls, a Polish representative and representatives of the Catholic Church was attacked near Tayibe, east of Ramallah, during the olive harvest season.
  • The Belgian consular vehicle had a window smashed; the army announced the launch of a joint investigation with the police.
  • Netanyahu's office questioned the completeness of the video footage; the diplomat responded that Israel is responsible for security in Area B of the West Bank.

Diplomat rebuts Netanyahu's doubts

A European diplomat who was part of a delegation attacked in the West Bank rejected on Saturday the doubts of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the incident. As quoted by Israeli public broadcaster KAN, the diplomat said: 'The facts are clear. We were attacked.' He responded to Netanyahu's criticism that the delegation had not coordinated its visit with the Israeli army, noting that Israel bears responsibility for security in Area B of the occupied West Bank. The diplomat also questioned why diplomats and people harvesting olives should come under attack.

Netanyahu's office's position and the army's response

The diplomat's statement came in response to a message from Netanyahu's office calling for caution regarding reports that masked Israelis attacked European diplomats near Ramallah. 'Serious accusations require serious evidence,' the statement said. The prime minister's office acknowledged that the footage shows masked individuals confronting the diplomatic vehicle, but claimed that the clips do not establish the full sequence of events or personal responsibility. The Israeli army said it had launched a joint investigation with the police into the incident.

Circumstances of the attack

The attack took place near the town of Tayibe east of Ramallah, where the delegation was during the olive harvest season. The delegation included the French and Belgian consuls, a representative of Poland and officials of the Catholic Church. Masked Israeli settlers confronted members of the delegation, and a window of the Belgian consular vehicle was smashed. According to army radio, troops and police arrived at the scene three hours after receiving the delegation's location and recordings of the incident, which were sent within a few minutes.

Domestic political reaction and context

Leader of the opposition party 'Yisrael Beiteinu' Avigdor Lieberman blamed Netanyahu as well as the defense and national security ministers for failing to curb attacks by Israeli settlers. He warned that their inaction undermines international support for Israel. According to Anadolu, settler attacks on Palestinians and their property have increased during the olive harvest season, which began at the start of the month.